Behind Enemy Lines
by TA-65015
Summary: A couple high ranking Officers manage to escape the Executor as it goes down in flames and are left for dead on the hostile Moon of Endor . Injured and on their own , they will have a to find a way to escape the planet before the Rebels find a way to get them first ! AU on some ESB events and ROTJ ending . Rated M for suggestive adult theme . Features OC .
1. Prologue

_When did it all go wrong ?_

They had the most powerful armada of the known Sectors at hand , alongside the feared Death Squadron , a battle station capable of mass destruction , they had the whole Rebel fleet outnumbered and outgunned , and their pathetic infiltration team pinned down on the Moon . This was supposed to be the last day of the Rebellion . Victory was theirs . So what had gone wrong ?

Those were the questions currently crossing the Admiral's mind as he stood immobile on the Executor's bridge , gazing through the transparisteel viewport at the battle raging all around them .

Reports were reeling from the Forest Moon of Endor , stating a massive surprise attack on the Shield Generator Complex launched by the Rebels and their primitive local allies . Their numbers alone had been sufficient to overrun the Base and annihilate any Imperial Resistance .

It had only been minutes since the first reports when all communication with the Endor Base suddenly ceased . Confirmation of what had happened was useless , as everyone witnessed the explosion on the surface of the Moon all the way from the Executor's bridge . And it was all the Rebels had been waiting for … As soon as the shields went down , they lead a run against the half-completed battle station , and a few fighters led by the Millennium Falcon entered the bowels of the gigantic construction .

It was only at that moment that Piett realised that the arrogance of the Emperor was about to lead the Empire to a new disaster , as the debacle of Yavin was repeating itself before his eyes . Yet there was nothing he could do to prevent it from happening , even with most powerful armada in the Galaxy at his disposal . But the Death Star wasn't the sole target of the Rebel Fleet . The bridge suddenly trembled violently , nearly sending some crewmen to the ground . Needless to say it more than enough to pull Firmus Piett out of his thoughts and have the Admiral instantly refocus on the Battle at hand . The Rebels had just managed to take out one of the shield generator cones of the bridge , and it wouldn't be long before they'd come back for a second run .

" Sir , we've lost our Bridge Deflector Shields ! "

" Intensify the forward batteries , I don't want anything to get through . "

And as he turned to face the viewport again , it was with sheer horror that he spotted the said second run positioning itself above the center ridge of the Super Dreadnought , ready to strike at the undefended bridge .

" Intensify forward fire power ! "

Shouted Piett as Green Squadron was still closing in on them at high speed . One of the A-wings was soon shot down , but instead of being vaporized , it started to spin frantically and headed straight for the bridge at ramming speed . Gherant could only yell a few words before turning his back on the incoming fighter and run .

" Too late ! "

* * *

This is just a short prologue !

I'm intending to write longer chapter afterwards , or maybe stick to a rather short format , i don't yet know . Please forgive any mistakes or weird sentences , i may be fairly fluent in English , but it is not my mother tongue and i never wrote any FanFic or RolePlay in English before :)  
Story is going to become AU in next chapter , and since what was generally considered " canon " recently became " legend " , i can shamelessly rewrite the ending of Return of the Jedi as i see fit without messing too much with the franchise .

I'm also going to bring in an OC of mine , which i have used for RolePlaying in the past few years . I'm personally not fond of FanFics involving OCs , but i imagined this story with her , so i'm going to write it down as is . Please feel free to review , any advice is welcomed :)


	2. Chapter 1 - Escape

" Too Late ! "

Piett turned his back on the viewport as well and started to run in a desperate attempt to save his life . Gherant was already a few meters ahead of him when he saw the bridge door open and two officers stepping in , stopping dead in their tracks as soon as they spotted the A-wing aiming for them at ramming speed .

General Maximilian Veers had fully recovered from his injuries sustained on Hoth and was soon reassigned to the Executor as Commander of the Death Squadron's ground forces . Right behind him stood Captain Thoryn , a young female Chiss Officer which had inherited the captaincy of the Avenger after Needa's death but had been ordered by High Command step down , at least until the Rebellion was defeated over Endor . Unfortunately that part wasn't going too well right now .

They both tried to turn back , but it was already too late . The A-wing blasted through the hull and viewport of the Executor , sending consoles , debris and men flying and shattering all over the bridge . Firmus Piett dove into the closest crew-pit in a last attempt to dodge the deadly cloud of flames spreading across the bridge and the fiery talons clawing at his back . He landed flat on some screen beneath him , and while he couldn't hear them , he felt a couple of his ribs fracture on impact . Gherant had no other choice than to jump forward , and in doing so the blast of the explosion soon propelled him to the far side of the bridge . Veers and Thoryn where both projected backwards outside of the bridge , but the door slammed close right after Thoryn go through them to seal the breached area from the rest of the ship , sending the General smashing right into the durasteel doors as the Captain collided with the walls of the corridor behind them .

The few men and women that hadn't been instantly killed in the explosion were momentarily stunned by its blast . And if it wasn't for the breach in the hull that was draining the flames into the void , there would've been no survivor at all the begin with . But the flames weren't the only thing being absorbed by the vacuum of space . What little oxygen they had left that hadn't been consumed by the explosion was being sucked out as well , and was pulling them alongside with it ! Loose debris and dead bodies were thrown in the dark vastness of the cosmos , quickly emptying the bridge that had been crawling with life not a minute ago . Two surviving crewmen that hadn't managed to get a firm grip on anything were also pulled in the gaping breach . One could see the horrified expression on their faces , knowing too well that they were doomed .

Even if he had only been knocked out for a few seconds , Firmus woke up with a start , and felt the urge to scream as he felt the stabbing pain in his chest and back but could only cough . The few gasps of air he could inhale were blazing hot and saturated with smoke that was scorching his throat and lungs , which only made him want to scream louder . Still clinging to the shattered consoles around him , Piett managed to get on his feet despite the gaping breech still grasping anything or anyone that wasn't holding thigh at the jagged walls of durasteel or the beams and cables hanging loose from the ceiling . Piett raised his head to look around , but the only thing he could see was Gherant being pulled away across the bridge , desperately trying to get a hang of something . He was only meters away from open maw of space when a loud noise reverberated throughout the bridge , and all the things floating in the air suddenly fell to the ground in a masquerade of clanks and thuds , including Gherant .

The atmospheric containment shield had finally raised !

It wasn't going to last forever , but it could save them just enough time to get out of the bridge and to the escape pods . Piett could already feel the massive ship slowly tilting port side , falling into the Death Star's gravity well . They only had minutes , if not seconds to escape certain death . Firmus tried to pull himself out of the crew-pit , only to fall back nearly instantly . But someone grabbed his forearms before he reach the ground and lifted him out of there in a single motion . Veers was nearly two heads taller than him , nearly twice as broad , and had luckily regained consciousness right in time . The impact with the door had left him a large bleeding gash on the forehead . Piett noticed that he was still struggling to keep his balance as he headed for Gherant , who – apart for a seemingly dislodged shoulder and a few burns - seemed in pretty good condition considering the fact that they had nearly burned , suffocated and been ejected into the vacuum of space in the last minute .

The three officers rushed to the door , only to notice it was still closed and the control panel had blown during the explosion . The containment shield could go down again any time now , and they had no way to open the kriffing door from the inside ! The General clenched his fists and started pounding on the said doors . Much to their surprise , someone on the other side gave a few kicks on the thick blast-proof durasteel as an answer . There was still hope !

They heard gun fire from the other side , and the bridge doors finally opened , just enough for one person at a time to slip through . Captain Thoryn , of course ! Gherant and Piett went through first , and Veers followed .

" You could have just left and save yourself . "

He said .

" You know me better . I leave no one behind . Now let's run ! "

Replied the Captain with a faint smile . Her specie was famous for being nearly expressionless , the Admiral remembered . She had a deep cut over the temple , and blood was dripping from her face , messing with her short jet black hair . Not exactly surprising given that half the ceiling of the corridor had collapsed as well , leaving sparking wires , durasteel beams and plates all over their way . Luckily for them , the escape pods were only seconds away from the bridge .

Back then , it had seemed so pointless to have those pods installed . What could have possibly threaten to most fearsome ship in the Galaxy ? Certainly not a tiny little Rebel ship plummeting its bridge . If only they had known …

Thoryn hit a glowing button on the outside the airlock , and the door opened accompanied by a small hiss as the pod pressurised . All the Officers rushed in . Gherant slammed a hand on the control panel , and its door slammed shut behind them , all life-support lights turning on . A deafening sound echoed through the escape pod as it was ejected in the darkness of space , sending its occupants rocking back and forth as the engines turned on , right in the midst of the Battle . A series of moans and groans soon followed as the pod's ion thrusters continued to fight the attraction of the Death Star's gravity well , shaking the small ship violently in the process . Gherant and the Captain both had their hands clenched around each side of the control panel , while Piett and Veers were hanging tightly at security harnesses holding them all into their respective seats .

When they least expected it , a massive blast shook the pod again , harder than any of the previous times , sending it jerking forward out of the Station's gravity well . The Officers all turned to the viewport to have a look at what had caused the blast . The Executor was going down in flames and had just collided with the Death Star , provoking a chain reaction that made the decks explode one after the other , covering the whole ship in one large curtain of fire . Piett was mesmerized by the sight of the Executor turning into a gigantic ball of fire . Or as some crew members had often called her , " The Lady " . His Lady …

And there he was , witnessing her last moments several clicks away . If Veers didn't knew him better , he would've sworn to see a tear running down the Admiral's cheek , among all the sweat and blood .

* * *

Here goes chapter 1 , hope you liked it ! C&C welcomed !

I think i'm going to stick to his format for the next chapters , not too short , not too long . I'll do my best to update as soon as possible with new chapters , but i might have troubles to post on a regular basis . Wish i had more free time :)

I'll also try to fit a very short bio of Cpt. Thoryn in the next chapters , just so that she does not appear like some totally random character with no back story at all . In which case i could've just throw a nameless Officer in there instead , or leave Gherant , Piett and Veers all alone :P


	3. Chapter 2 - Into the Void

Just wanted to say thank you to WeylandCorp4 , CHIPsfangirl and Lord Darth Yoda for dropping the first ( and very kind ) reviews ! ^_^

* * *

" I should have stayed … "

Piett was still gazing at the fireball that the Executor had become , and the explosion that had followed its collision with the Death Star .

" We're well past the time when Captains went down with their ships ! Besides , the Empire can't afford to lose its best Officers , or we might as well surrender already … "

Veers looked slightly upset . They had just escaped a nearly certain death , and although he and the Admiral were allegedly good friends , he wasn't in the mood to listen to such nonsense right now . But at least that last part made Firmus look away from the viewport . He took a deep painful breath , winced , and sighted silently . Inhaling oxygen felt as if someone was frantically scraping his throat and lungs , making something as simple as breathing a very laborious and exhausting task .

At least the escape pod was now flying smoothly through the battlefield , trembling occasionally when passing some nearby crossfires .

" Time to get out of here , I'm hailing the fleet . "

Gherant pushed a few buttons on the control panel , and the the comm-channel crackled to life . He then flicked a few more switches to make sure they were emitting on all Imperial channels , and prayed that the Rebels weren't monitoring Imperials comms , or they might have company a lot sooner that expected .

" This is Commander Gherant to Imperial Fleet requesting immediate assistance ! I have Admiral Piett , General Veers and Captain Thoryn with me , transmitting coordinates and clearance codes now ! "

The Officers all retained their breath while waiting for an answer . A few seconds passed , and the comm-channel crackled back to life again , but with many interferences and parasite noises .

" Commander Gherant … is Captain Hove … ISD Vehement . We are nearby .. under heavy fire … locking onto your position now ! "

They couldn't see the Vehement from their position , but they could guess that the battle was still raging around them judging by the swirling bolts of laser starting to get dangerously closer to the pod . And it wasn't going to get any better now that the Executor was gone , making the balance tilt drastically in the Rebellion's favour .

Seconds started to become longer and longer , and the Vehemence wasn't hailing them back , which was more than enough the make the Imperials grow wary .

" Captain Hove , are you receiving me ? ISD Vehemence , do you co … "

The pod suddenly jerked backwards in a brutal motion and started spinning uncontrollably . All the Officers were soon clutching their seats or safety harnesses as they were being violently shaken in all direction . When the spinning finally stopped , they were forcefully shoved back one last time into their seats . Piett's face and body were still contorted by the excruciating pain shooting though him and had to let go of the scream he had been containing for the past minutes . Gherant grabbed his already dislodged shoulder and crouched forward , letting a long , low moan escape . While the General and the Captain weren't as wounded as the Executor's commanding Officers , that little bumpy ride left them panting just as loud .

" Hang on tight , it is not over yet . "

Thoryn had very grave expression when she raised her hand at the viewport to point out at the Death Star . Or more precisely , at a few ships that had just came out of the Station's entrails followed closely by a fiery cloud trying to get a grip on them . Even at that distance , she could still recognize the flying pile of junk called the Millennium Falcon , one of the pathetic prides of the Rebellion . Six months ago , she had solemnly sworn to herself that the Falcon would be blown to bits , vaporized and its remains sent to the nearest junk yard where it belonged . She would see to it personally as revenge for the death of the late Captain of the ISD Avenger . Lorth Needa and her had been very good friends , as the Captain was the first to fully accept her and consider her as his equal , regardless of her gender and specie , which had often caused the most fanatical Officers aboard the Avenger to go as far as the call their Captain a " Rebel sympathiser " , despite his unwavering loyalty to the Empire and the fact that he had subjugated half the Outer Rim , making the Avenger one of the most feared Star Destroyer of the whole Imperial Fleet .

" I have a very bad feeling about this … "

Said the Admiral with a sorry face , knowing too well what was going to happen next . The four Officers all clenched their hands around whatever they could get a solid grasp on and closed their eyes , anticipating the collision to be stronger than anything they had experienced until now , hoping for the pod to resist the incoming shock wave and not rupture upon impact .

The Death Star then burst into flames . All of them could see the brightness of the explosion from behind their eyelids . The blazing light was such that they had to turn their heads away from the viewport , counting down the few seconds they had left before the huge radial wave of roaring flames would engulf the small craft in its enormous maw .

The escape pod was swept away by the blast like a fly in a hurricane . The systems went down one after the other , barely leaving anything functioning beside life support as they collided with the debris of the Vehement . The pod ended up on a collision course with the Forest Moon , making the proximity alarm beep louder and louder as the pod was entering the planet's gravitational field . Still moving forward at great speed , the little ship started to accelerate as it entered Endor's atmosphere , pulled by gravitational forces . When the craft crashed on the surface , somewhat slowed down by the forest canopy it had get through , all of its occupants had already passed out . If luck was on their side , they had crashed clicks away from any Rebel settlement or Ewok village , and their enemies would be to busy celebrating their victory to go after them . On the other hand , if luck wasn't on their side , Rebels would likely be on patrol near the crash-site , and since the pod had left a black smoky trail in the sky , it wouldn't take them long to find the damaged craft as well as four high-ranking Imperial Officers , possibly still unconscious . 

* * *

If you are as tired as i am to read comics and books always taking place from the good guy's point of view and depicting the Imperials as evil , sadistic bastards , rest assured , i'll soon take pleasure in doing the exact opposite ! :D

Since we won't be given much " canon " material involving our favourite Officers , i figured " let's do it ourselves then ! " .

PS : This story was originally a dream i had one night . Needless to say it was a very good dream . Unfortunately i don't know how it ends , yet ^_^


	4. Chapter 3 - Stranded

The Captain was the first to wake up after the crash . There wasn't much light around her but she could hear someone breathing heavily next to her . The pod seemed irreparably damaged . There wasn't a single diode still glowing on the control panel , gaping holes in the walls and cables dangling from them as well as several small breaches in the craft's hull and a shattered viewport . But the scariest part was perhaps the fact that half the pod was simply missing , and so were Gherant and Veers !

She pressed the release button of her safety harness and carefully slid on the ground . Or at least what was left of it . A couple plates of durasteel , some debris from the pod , and a lot of dirt ...

Thoryn wiped the blood that had dripped from her temple to her eye and quickly went to check on the Admiral . He didn't seemed in much worse condition than he already was when they escaped the Executor , except for a few new bruises maybe . She laid her hands on his shoulders and shook him gently , repeating the process a few times before sighting in relief when she heard and soft , long groan as he finally opened his hazel eyes .

" The others , are they … ? "

" I don't know . But we'll find out , sooner or later . In the meanwhile , we need to get away from the pod , let's pack what we can and go . "

Piett undid his harness and hopped on the ground as well . There was a basic survival kit under each seat of the pod in case the occupants either crashed or made an emergency landing in a potentially hostile environment , and some additional supplies in several compartments of the pod . It contained a field med-kit , a week's worth of field ration for one person , a short range comlink , an emergency blanket , a glowlamp , a combat knife and some Imperial standard ammo packs .

As soon as they retrieved their respective backpacks , they went for the few remaining packs and transferred the field rations and med-kits . They didn't knew how much time they were going to spend on Endor , least of all if they were ever going to get off the wretched Moon . One thing was sure , they wouldn't die of hunger .

" Captain , we might have a problem here … "

" What is it ? "

The Admiral had opened the couple supply compartments of the pod to get down whatever additional pieces of equipment they could shove into their bags before being over-encumbered . Thoryn put up a grim expression .

" Please don't tell me the weapons are in the other part of the pod … "

" I'm afraid they are . Which also means – given that they are still alive – that Gherant and Veers have little to no medical supplies apart from their med-kits , because they're all in our part of the pod . On the other hand , _they_ won't run out of ammo any time soon . "

" Frell … Well i guess it could be worse . We aren't completely defenceless . "

Piett hadn't noticed at first , but a holster was hanging down Thoryn's belt , containing a most unusual looking blaster . She drew it out and handed the gun over to the Admiral .

" It's a Charric pistol , a weapon made by my people . Downsides are : it only has an effective range of about ten meters , the power cell will only last forty shots , and it doesn't run on standard Imperial power packs . But it'll blast a hole the size of your fist in any king of target . So I suggest we make every shot count . "

He nodded in agreement and handed back the pistol . It was slowly getting darker , they only had a few hours left worth of sun light , and neither of them wanted to wander around the hostile forest at night . Firmus stepped out of the pod , carefully examining their surroundings . He couldn't see nor hear anything suspicious . Maybe they were lucky after all . Thoryn came out a few seconds afterwards , holding a scavenged piece of the comm unit in her hand , powered by an improvised battery crafted from a blaster energy cell .

" With this , we'll be able to monitor all communications within a 5 klick* radius , and any long-range communication transmitted on open channels . Imperial comms , if there are any , but most importantly , Rebel comms . If a patrol is headed our way , chances are that we'll know it . "

" It will come in handy . Probably sooner than we'd like … Unfortunately . "

" Indeed . But my guess is we won't have to worry tonight . Let's save our strengths for tomorrow . "

Piett looked up . High in the sky , they could still see what little was remaining of the Death Star , surrounded by Mon Calamari cruisers , Nebulon-class frigates and dozens of A-wings , B-wings , X-wings and Y-wings squadrons , hunting down the remaining Imperial Forces in the Sector . A few Squadrons of TIE-fighters with nothing left to lose , probably . The Fleet had retreated , and the Admiral knew perfectly well that only a few Cruisers would have waited for their pilots to come back before making a jump to light-speed . He took a deep breath and closed his eyes . His throat and lungs were still hurting like hell , but the cool , fresh air was appeasing the pain a little .

" Admiral , take the lead , I'll cover our backs . "

Firmus wasn't going to argue with that . She surely was a better shot than he was , and they only had one blaster anyway . The only issue was , neither of them had the slightest idea as to where they should be headed , except far from the crash site .

So they walked , making a short pause every other hour . The Captain held her weapon in her hand , in case they'd run into troubles , and both Officers kept their eyes open for signs of … anything .

When the moon had finally replaced the sun , they decided to " set up camp " inside a large collapsed tree trunk . The local trees weren't as gigantic as the Wroshyr trees growing on Kashyyyk , but they surely were tall enough to dwarf your average tree found everywhere from the Core Worlds to the Outer Rim . Piett surprised himself thinking of home . There weren't much trees on Axxila , except in a few parks . After all , it wasn't considered " the Coruscant of the Outer Tim " for no reason . It had been years since the last time he set foot on Axxila , he barely remembered how it looked . Thoryn on the other hand remembered her home world perfectly . It wasn't hard to remember either . An endless frozen desert , just like Hoth . While technically she was born on Copero , she was sent to Csilla at an early age and hardly ever came back to her birth place .

Now that they could finally rest a bit , the two Imperials took the time to patch themselves up the best they could . Luckily , with all the medical supplies they salvaged from the pod , they could fix most kinds of wounds and almost practice field surgery . Not that they were planning do to it any time soon . But at least those bone stabilizers and bacta patches would help .

The Admiral made an odd grimace when he got to look at his scorched uniform , guessing that his back wasn't looking any better under the bandages that the Captain had just wrapped around his chest . He wasn't feeling much better yet , but the pain was slowly starting to fade away . Enough for him to finally fall asleep .

At some point during the night , the two Officers woke up abruptly , startled by some distant noises . It sounded like a firefight . Maybe a few other stranded Imperials ? But they hadn't catched any transmission on their radio . They could also see some lights in the sky through some of the holes in the trunk . It's only then that they realised what it was , and sighted in disdain .

 _Fireworks ._

And then only the radio hummed to life , receiving victory and celebration communications transmitted by the Rebels to the whole Galaxy .

" Today is a day of celebration .. triumphed over villainy and oppression and have given our Alliance ... chance to breathe and cheer for the progress in reclaiming our freedom from an Empire that robbed us of it ...

... last princess of Alderaan , former member of the Galactic Senate , and a leader in the Alliance to Restore the Republic . I have a message ... Emperor Palpatine — the greatest tyrant civilization has ever known ... responsible for death and suffering beyond measure—is dead . He and ... station were destroyed by Alliance forces earlier today . This does not mark the end of the Empire ... But you must take this opportunity . Join us in the foundation of a new Republic to be shaped ... "

After about half an hour of such victorious chatter , Thoryn grabbed the radio and ripped off its makeshift battery , putting a sudden but welcomed end to the Rebel propaganda messages , allowing the two exhausted Imperials to fall back asleep .

* * *

* a klick is military slang for a kilometre , commonly used in the Star Wars universe as well .

You have probably guessed by now that i'm going to alternate POVs during the following chapters . One will focus on Piett and Thoryn , the other on Veers and Gherant , and so on until they meet again :)

Haven't found a proper way to install a bit of background for my OC Thoryn , so you may have also noticed that i throw a bit of backstory here and there when i can . As i mentioned , she's not really a " main " character of the story , more like supporting character , but i still want her to be consistent . If you're wondering how she looks like , just picture yourself the default Commander FemShepard from the Mass Effect franchise , but with a teal blue skin , jet black hair , glowing red eyes and a long scar running horizontally across her cheek and nose :P

PS : The possible adult content advertised in my FanFic's description is likely to come in the next chapters . It won't be really explicit nor gross , nor recurring for that matter , but it will be there at least once . I really want the Rebels to be the bad guys this time :)


	5. Chapter 4 - Victory Celebration

The second part of the escape pod had landed about a kilometer away from the first crash site . Instead of loosing the speed it had acquired during its atmospheric entry when passing through Endor's forest canopy , it had somehow managed to continue its way above the trees for several hundred meters before landing in the middle of a meadow , surrounded by those tall redwood trees . It was now stuck in dirt , looking like an open cup , bathing in the warm sunset light .

Veers slowly tilted his head on the side , shielding his eyes from the sun with one hand . While technically still in his seat , he was laying flat on his back , right next to Gherant . He detached his harness and attempted to sit up straight , but was stopped in the middle of his move by a vivid , stabbing pain in his side . He instinctively pressed a hand on the source of the pain . His uniform was damp , soaked with blood , and he felt a small , sharp metallic spike protruding from above his belt , just a few centimetres next to his buckle . Given the general aspect of the pod – or more accurately _their_ part of the pod – it probably was some sort of debris from the shattered life support . The General rolled on his other side and pulled himself to his feet , using his seat as support . The wound did hurt , but not as much as he expected . Or maybe Veers was simply growing immune to pain . He had been serving the Empire for nearly twenty years . Plenty of time to get stabbed , shot , beaten or crushed under the weight of his obliterated AT-AT cockpit . The bleeding on the other hand was what worried him the most .

" Gherant , wake up . "

He then leaned over the Commander and gave him a gentle slap in the face . The man did woke up , grunting in protest . His shoulder was still dislocated , and the crash hadn't exactly helped to put it back in place . He grabbed the hand the General was offering him with his valid arm and hopped on his feet .

" Where are the Admiral and the Captain ? "

" I don't know . The pod must have split during the crash . Must have landed within one or two klick . My guess is , if we are still alive , so are they . "

" So , what do we do ? We go after them ? "

" Not right now . If any hostile force saw the pod crash , that's exactly what they'll expect us to do . I suggest we grab some supplies and get moving , then we can figure out a way to find them . "

The General went back in the pod's wreckage , followed by the Commander . They both grabbed their survival kits , and checked the pod for more supplies . There wasn't much left , except for the weapon compartment . Veers threw a Power 5 heavy blaster pistol to Gherant , as well as two standard E-11 rifles . Both shoved the extra rifles , ammo and a few thermal detonators in their backpacks , keeping the blaster pistols holstered around their belts , and the rifles in their hands .

" Uh , I think we have an issue … The medical supplies , they're all in the other part of the pod . "

" What do you mean , " they're all in the other part of the pod " ? "

" I mean that we have more than enough guns to lay a siege , but we don't have any other medical supplies than our med-kits . Hence it's a chance that your shoulder is only dislodged . We should fix it before moving , you might need both your arms soon . "

The Commander sighted . So basically , they had to wander through hostile territory to find their missing colleagues , avoiding to get further injured at all costs , while the said colleagues had to do the exact same thing , but without any weapon at their disposal . What had they done to deserve this ?

Veers walked up to him . He wasn't particularly enthusiast about getting his shoulder relocated right now , but the General was right ; if they were to encounter hostiles , he would need both his arms .

" Okay . Turn around , extend you arm , and count to three … "

Gherant did what he was instructed to do . He turned his back on Veers , raised his arm a little bit , keeping it partly folded . The latter grabbed his elbow from behind and put a hand on his shoulder . It was all up to the Commander to start the countdown .

" One … Argh , kriff ! Maximilian , you son of a Hutt ! "

Gherant wanted to turn back again and punch the General in the face , but quickly figured it might not be a good idea to start a brawl with a veteran army Officer , especially when the said Officer was sporting a smirk on his lips . He was actually grateful to the man for putting his shoulder back in its socket , but equally frustrated that he had just fell for such a lame trick . It is only then that he noticed Veers was holding his side , his uniform slowly turning to a crimson colour .

" You're bleeding ! Shouldn't we … "

" I'll live . We'll patch that up later . Come on , let's move out . "

The Commander didn't argued and followed the taller man . Neither of them being severely wounded or incapacitated – yet - , they managed to keep up a fast pace . In two hours , they had roughly covered ten kilometres . It was more than enough distance between them and the landing site . Besides , if they went any further , they'd have to come back to find their missing colleagues anyway , and it was getting too dark to continue .

Gherant laid down his backpack and blaster , before sitting on a trunk . Veers on the other side simply dropped the bag before hauling down on the ground , leaning against a trunk . He looked pale and tired . The Commander walked over to him and knelt by his side , obviously worried .

" Show me . "

The General sighted , letting his hand slide away , revealing a uniform now drenched in blood and a shiny metallic spike still protruding from the wound . Gherant grimaced at the sight of it .

" With all due respect , you're an idiot , Maximilian … "

" I know … Just help me pull it out . "

He undid his uniform jacket and threw it aside , before pulling up the grey tank he was wearing underneath . The wound seemed small , nothing life-threatening , but it was the bleeding they absolutely had to stop . Gherant handed some sterile gauze pads from his med-kit to the General , gently placed a hand next to the wound and managed to get a solid grip on the bloodied spike . He stared into the Veers' dark green eyes , waiting for his " signal " . Veers nodded , and Gherant pulled one sharp time , extracting both the spike and a muffled scream from the General , before pressing the gauzes on the bleeding wound .

" How are we supposed to stop the bleeding now ? We don't even have a laser cauterizer ! "

Veers grabbed the Commander's hand and slammed something into it . Gherant was pretty shocked to see that is was his blaster pistol . It was brutal , but they didn't had much choice .

" You expect me to just shoot you ?! "

" It's the only way to seal the wound ... just do it ! "

The General was panting heavily , but he looked a lot more confident about being shot than Gherant was about shooting _him_ . The latter aimed , closed his eyes , and pulled the trigger .

When the Commander dared to open his eyes , he saw that burnt skin had now replaced the bleeding wound . At least they had enough bacta bandages to patch that wound properly , and it had effectively stopped bleeding . On the other hand , Veers was now unconscious . Luckily , he was going to have the night to rest ...

Gherant dressed his wound the best he could , grabbed his blaster rifle and leaned against a tree as well , facing the passed out General . The air was cool but not cold , the sky was dark , and the moon was shining high among the stars , where the Death Star should have been .

At some point during the night , the Commander surprised himself looking at the distant fireworks , getting a mixed feeling of sadness and disgust .

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Wish i had more free time during the week to keep writing !

Hope you like this new chapter :)


	6. Chapter 5 - Hide and seek

Sorry for the long delay , i was sort of extremely busy with projects to hand in , then i accidentally started playing KOTOR for the first time and couldn't stop until i completed both games ! :P Unfortunately , when i finally was in the mood to write again , it so happened that my Grandma passed away and the next morning , there were those terror attacks in our lovely city of Brussels , so it wasn't really in the mood to do anything for a while ...

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Thoryn woke up first . The sun was gleaming above the treetop , sending warm rays of sunlight their way . If only they weren't being chased by the Rebels and their local allies , maybe she could have enjoyed the moment . She shoved the makeshift battery back into their radio . The channels were now all silent , no more victory messages and enemy propaganda , just some occasional interference noises .

The Captain laid a hand on the Admiral's shoulder and shook him gently . Piett woke up promptly , vaguely scanned the horizon , yawned and stretched before getting up . He seemed happily surprised that his torso wasn't hurting as it had yesterday . He wasn't planning on pulling any fancy move either , but it was somewhat relieving not to feel that stabbing pain in his chest .

" So … What is the plan for today ? "

" I don't really know . We could use the second crash side as the center point for search pattern Jenth and enlarge our circles until we find traces of the General and the Commander … "

" Hm , yes . I guess they will proceed the same way . Maybe we could describe a counter-clockwise pattern in order to maximize our chances of running into them ? "

" Good idea , let's do that . I'll follow your lead . "

The two Imperials grabbed their respective backpacks and headed forward , in the general direction of the other half of the pod . The trails of smoke had vanished overnight , but they both clearly remembered from where they were coming from .

It didn't took them long to find the second half of the pod . It had been deserted . No traces of anyone , except for a set of footprints heading east . And those footprints looked nothing like Imperial boots … At least they now knew their colleagues were still alive , even if they had hostiles after them . The Captain and the Admiral decided to move out . If Rebels had been here , there was no way of telling when they could come back , and they had no intention of waiting to find out , they thus headed north and started to walk in a large radial pattern around the crash site , widening their search pattern every now and then .

After a few hours of restless hiking in the forest moon , the Officers decided to take a small break before resuming their search . That is when they first intercepted a communication .

" Found trails … oing after them … Moving to next quadrant … "

Piett and Thoryn looked at each other . It was definitely bad news . But they had no way of knowing if the trail those Rebels were following was theirs or the one from Veers' group . Neither of them wished harm to their fellow Officers , but they both hoped the Rebels weren't after them , because if they were , it's not with a single blaster and a couple dozen shots that they were going to last for anything short of a long time .

Not knowing whether or not a group of ill-intentioned people was now looking for them or not , the two Imperials decided to shorten their break and continue to follow their search pattern . If they were lucky , maybe they'd find Gherant and Veers soon , or even a spot to ambush their eventual pursuers .

Sometime after that , Piett stopped abruptly , soon followed by Thoryn . Something just felt wrong , they both could sense it . The Captain turned her back on the Admiral and started to slowly walk backwards , until they nearly were back to back , both looking in all directions .

" Do you hear that , Captain ? "

" Yes , it's faint , but closing in . I don't like it . "

In the distant , there was a very faint humming , similar to an engine . It was definitely closing in on them , and at high speed on top of that , judging by the rising volume of the said humming .

" It sounds like … speeder bikes . I'm not sure , but it think it's an Imperial model . Hundreds of those were deployed down here . "

" But it could just as well be Rebels riding stolen Imperial speeders . I highly doubt that the remaining Scout forces would risk investigating just another crash site … "

" Let's take cover , quickly . "

The two Officers ran in direction of the nearest trees , and found some cover behind a large log surrounded by bushes . Then they waited , immobile and utterly silent . The humming was getting closer and closer , they would soon find out who was coming after them .

Less than a minute after , two speeder bikes appeared from within the trees at high speed and stopped about a dozen meters away from where the Imperials were hidden . The speeders were indeed Imperial models , two fine Aratech 74-z models . As for the drivers … Two Rebel soldiers in their camouflage gear sporting some unusually large smirks on their faces . One of them got down from his speeder and started investigating the surroundings . It didn't take him long to nod to his partner and point out the general area where the Officers were hiding . Surprisingly , he just hopped back onto his ride , and he and his friend departed .

But not for long … The two speeders simply made a wide turn and came back , heading straight for the Imperial's hiding position , and as soon as they reached their previous position again , they started firing at the trunk they used as cover , spraying the whole area with sizzling bolts of red lasers . After a few seconds of intense volleys of fire , the Rebels stopped firing . There was a lot of smoke surrounding the Officers that had been laying flat on their stomach for the past minute . The tree they used as cover was now mostly a large mass of black scorched bark . Neither the Admiral nor the Captain dared to raise their head for a while , especially since they could still hear the very nearby engine humming from the speeder bikes .

" Come on out , we know you're hiding over there ! Surrender and maybe we will spare your lives . "

For some reason , the Imperials weren't really convinced by that last statement . Unfortunately they weren't in much condition to negotiate either . But there was no way they would surrender . The Empire was perhaps collapsing at this very moment , but they weren't going to give up without a fight . The two Officers locked eyes , and Thoryn grabbed her weapon . Their enemies were out of the effective range fire of the maser pistol , but if any of the two speeder took a hit , it would likely turn into a big fireball very soon . She was about the jump out of cover when the Rebels opened fire a second time . The two Imperials leaped away , landing flat on their stomachs and in the open .

" There they are ! I guess we'll just have to pretend they fought back and gave us no other choice ... "

The two Rebels smirked . They clearly had no intention of taking them alive from the start , they just wanted to play with them , give them false hopes . It could have worked … but only with less experienced Officers . Neither the Admiral nor the Captain were naïve enough to hand themselves in so easily .

" All right . But let's have some fun before … I like it when they run ! "

Both speeder bikes opened fire again , but they didn't precisely aimed at the Officers . They wanted to separate them , and it was working ! They had no choice but to run away from each other if they didn't wanted to get caught by a bolt of laser .

And those cursed Rebels got them running for a few minutes before things got more serious . There was no time to take aim and fire back . But they had played enough , now they wanted to end it , but not in the way the Officers thought they would . The one after the Captain was trying to get her in his line of sight , but she was making sure to stick to the trees to avoid that . The one behind the Admiral …

" Save your ammos , just push on the throttle ! "

Following his friend's advice , the first Rebel soldier gave a little push on throttle in an attempt to run over the Chiss Officer , but ended up missing her by a few centimetres as she dodged the speeder . He continued forward , turned around , and aimed at her again . Only this time , Thoryn didn't ran away nor attempted to avoid the speeder . She raised her arm , took aim , and when the Rebel noticed the weapon , it was too late . The maser bolt hit him dead center , throwing him off his speeder bike which crashed in a nearby tree .

Seconds later , she heard the other Rebel scream in anger . Both he and the Admiral stopped to watch the burning wreckage of the speeder bike . But it didn't take long for the engine of the speeder bike to roar again , only this time the Rebel was even more set on killing both Imperials , and possibly make them suffer in the process . Firmus being the closest , he resumed his course but at a significantly higher speed . The Captain fired a few shots at the Rebel , forcing him to stray away from the Admiral and passing by him rather than over him .

" Piett ! "

Thoryn threw her handgun at the Admiral , as the Rebel was making the sharpest turn he possibly could . Piett did catch the Charric pistol , but the Rebel was nearly already over him again before he could aim . He blindly fired a few shots but none hit his target . Worse , as he leapt to dodge the vehicle , the blaster was somehow kicked from his hands and sent a couple meters away .

There was no time to go and get it , and the Rebel was ever so determined to kill him , to kill them both . By the time the Admiral got up , he was coming back his way again , and Thoryn was still a few meters away . Only this time the Rebel managed to drift in a way to get his speeder positioned sideways , leaving no room for the Imperial to dodge this pass .

" No ! "

The Captain leapt forward , the Admiral closed his eyes and the Rebel yelled .

Much to Piett's surprise , he was still alive when he opened his eyes moments later . But the thrill was very short lived as he heard loud crashing noises behind him and the heat of an explosion when the speeder exploded on the ground , leaving a trail of scraped dirt , durasteel debris and blood in its wake . He promptly ran to the wreckage , looking for the Captain . She had been dragged over a few meters after the speeder's steering vanes sank into the ground due to the excess weight on the outrigger , sending it on an uncontrollable crashing course . There main frame had broken in several parts , one of them currently burning alongside the corpse of the Rebel that had attempted to kill them , and another one pinning the bloodied , unconscious Captain's arm to the ground , still smoking and scorching hot on the edges . The Admiral grabbed her vest and her other arm and pulled in an attempt to free her from the speeder's carcass .

Piett unexpectedly fell backwards , holding the Captain in his arms . It shouldn't have been that easy . He glanced at her arm , the one that had been crushed by the debris , it was … gone !

The burning debris must've had partially cauterized the wound , causing the bleeding to be minimal . The Admiral grabbed his backpack , pulling out a medpac to patch up the wound the best he could . The synthflesh gel did its job at sealing the wound , preventing further blood loss and infection , while the remaining portion of her arm was dressed with spray-bandages .

Only one issue remained . The firefight and the explosions would inevitably bring the attention of any nearby foe , and someone would eventually come to look after the two Rebel scouts , so they had to put as much distance between them and their current position . But in her current state , the Captain was going nowhere by herself , and the Admiral wasn't exactly the physical type . But there was no way he was leaving her behind . She had just risked her life twice in the last twenty four hours to save him . Most people he knew would've left him for dead , or tried to back stab him in an attempt to rise to his rank . What she had done was more than Piett would have ever expected from anyone , particularly within the Empire . To return the " favour " was the least he could do now .

He thus transferred as much supplies from her rucksack to his , secured it tightly onto his back , tucked the pistol he had dropped in his belt and proceeded to lift the Captain from the ground . Thoryn was only a few centimetres taller than the Admiral , and surprisingly light for a women her size .

And so he walked , carrying the Captain in his arms . Going forward was all that mattered , for both their sakes .

After a while , the soft sound of streaming water could be heard . It was close-by , and perhaps it would allow the Imperials to get rid of their pursuers by masking their tracks .

Minutes were slowly starting to feel like hours , and it was soon going to get dark . The sun was already setting behind the tree canopy . The Admiral was tired , his arms and legs ached , he wasn't going to get a lot further . He got out of the stream and walked , always forward , until his legs gave way under him . Both Officers fell to the ground and into a ditch , in between two collapsed tree trunks . Piett attempted to gather his strength to get up , but in vain . He just slid his backpack under the Captain's head , and then let himself roll on his side , utterly exhausted .

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Sorry for this poor excuse of a Chapter , i had a lot of troubles putting my ideas down and writing this Chapter , which is ironically longer than all the previous ones . I hope it's not too bad ! :)


	7. Chapter 6 - Rude Awakening

" Max ... ? "

Someone was calling his name . The General was still unconscious , but he could hear it . Whoever was calling him was persistent about it ...

" Max ! "

The sound still seemed distant and somewhat muffled , but it was slowly waking him up . It was Gherant , he was now sure about it .

" _Maximilian !_ "

Veers opened his eyes slowly . He let a long moan escape upon discovering that the pain in his side wasn't quite gone . His vision remained blurred for a few moments , but he could distinguish the Commander's silhouette a couple meters in front of him , still clad in olive ... and two others .

He felt something cold poke his temple as he moved to lean against the trunk he was previously laying next to . He looked up only to see the barrel of blaster pointed at his face . The General couldn't refrain from sighting heavily .

The two silhouettes next to Gherant were also Rebels of course . One of them was pointing his weapon at the back of the Commander's head , the other was just looking at them both with a large smile on his face . The two others' faces weren't devoid of a small smirk either . He briefly crossed eyes with Gherant who was looking at his feet , seemingly ashamed of having been captured without being able to oppose much resistance , and worried .

" You , up ! "

The Rebel pointing a gun at him took a step back , following his every move carefully . Veers stood up , using the tree as a support , and clenched his teeth to show little to no sign of weakness . The stain of dried blood on his uniform was giving the wound away , but as long as he kept his hands away from it , the Rebels had no way of knowing how serious the injury was , or had been a bit earlier .

The smiling Rebel slowly walked forward to him , exchanging place with his friend . That one was armed as well , but he was keeping his weapon holstered for now .

" Well well well , what do we have here ? The grand Hero of Hoth , no less . General Maximilian Veers himself , who would've thought ... I know a whole lot of people who would give a whole lot of credits to be in my place right now , just to have the privilege of putting a bolt of laser through your brain . There's hardly a single of us that hasn't lost a relative or a friend because of you ... Do you have the slightest idea of the amount of people you killed on Hoth alone ? "

The General adopted a disdainful expression . He knew well enough that the Rebel losses on Hoth had been great , they made sure to remind everyone of that in their anti-Imperial propaganda for months following the battle . The only sad thing about that Battle of Hoth had been that some Rebels had managed to escape .

" I can probably guess ... But i still think they weren't even close to high enough . "

The man in front of him laughed , a forced laugh , and repeated his last words a few times like and echo . Then he suddenly threw his closed fist at the General's stomach with all his strength . Needless to say , he wasn't smiling any more .  
Veers fell to his knees . He was panting heavily , and was clutching his side with a hand . After a few deep breaths , he lifted his head to look at his captor again . Anger and hate were all over his face , still distorted by pain . His dark green eyes screamed of defiance .

" Is that all it takes to put down an Imperial Hero ? So disappointing ... "

The General rose slowly , still looking straight into the Rebel's eyes . He briefly glanced at Gherant and the two other Rebel soldiers . They were now both holding their blasters loosely , letting their guards down . They were after all three well armed soldiers against two unarmed and injured Officers , what could possibly go wrong ?

The formerly smiling Rebel reached for his blaster , a DL-22 , and shoved its barrel under Veers' chin . That particular model was known to have no stun setting , but it wasn't yet enough to scare a veteran Imperial like himself . He had already wrestled with tougher creatures than an old , bitter , trigger-happy Rebel scum .

" I'd love to bring you back to Base and see you face justice for your crimes . Maybe i'd even be lucky enough to see you face a firing squad . Your execution would be a meagre consolation for those who have lost so much because of your wretched Empire , but it'd be a start... "

" My crimes ? Is that what the Rebellion is now accusing the few remaining Imperials who were ... too good at their jobs for your likings ? "

" Among other things ... We have condemned some for less . "

" Here goes so-called righteousness of the Rebel Alliance ... Let's face it , you're not any better than we are ... I wonder what your esteemed Leaders would think about your pretended justice . "

The Rebel smirked . They knew well enough . But they couldn't monitor every single Rebel unit to prevent it from happening , and who was going to blame them anyway ? The Empire had committed genocides and all kinds of atrocities for the past decade , it was only fair retaliation , particularly since the War itself wasn't over yet . It was so easy to claim the enemy fought back and refused to surrender , reports like that flowed by the hundreds from the four corners of the Galaxy . And there was a whole lot of Imperials " refusing to surrender " .

" By the time we reach the Base , i can probably think of a dozen perfectly valid reason to shoot you down . Refusal to comply , attempting to escape , hostility , ... Oldies but goodies . Unfortunately for you , i don't think i'll take you back to base . I've met your kind before , alleged ' battle-hardened Imps ' , you just won't behave yourself and let us have a nice and easy ride back to HQ . You're way too much trouble alive , better put your out of your misery right now . Then we'll get back to your other little friends who have managed to elude us for the past twenty-four hours ... "

Surprise quickly replaced anger on the General's face . So they knew for Piett and Thoryn , and they were still alive ! With a bit of luck they weren't yet in a disastrous situation like Gherant and him were currently knee deep in .

" Oh , you thought we didn't know ? We've investigated both crash sites , and the tracks don't lie ... We have good pathfinders too . For all i know they might still be in the vicinity . I can't help but wonder if they'll be as easy to catch as you were . Well , it's not like you'll still be around to know the answer ... "

The surprised expression on Veers' features vanished as suddenly as it had appeared , and was now leaving its place to sheer rage . He couldn't leave his fellow Imperials fall into those Rebels' filthy hands , knowing only too well that they had no weapons to defend themselves . Whatever he was going to do , he needed to do it fast because that scum of a Rebel was dead set on ending his life very soon . He glanced at Gherant again , and the Rebel aimed his blaster at his forehead .

" Goodbye , General ... "

The trigger was pulled , the blast fired , and at the very last moment , Veers swiftly moved himself out of the Rebel's line of fire and pounced forward ! The shot hit the trunk behind him only a few millimetres past his head . Before the latter could pull the trigger a second time , the tall Officer grabbed and twisted in arm , forcing the Rebel to pivot where he stood and face his two friends if he didn't wanted his shoulders and elbows to be instantly dislodged from their sockets . Maximilian got a hold of his blaster pistol with one hand , pulling it out of the Rebel's grip , and in a single motion shot down the one Rebel that was still aiming his rifle at Gherant . The Rebel next to him had a brief moment of hesitation upon aiming at the General who was still restraining his captor-turned-captive with a durasteel grasp . That hesitancy proved to be his undoing as Veers took a clean shot at his chest without even a split second of hesitation .

But before he could get rid of the last and most annoying of them all , the not-so-smiling-anymore Rebel made good use of his one free arm to strike the General's side with his elbow , freeing himself of the Imperial's hold . Veers groaned and made a wide step back before falling against the tree that would have served as his execution pole . He tried to reach for the blaster that had dropped from his hand , but the Rebel was faster than him . The General was laying flat on his stomach , a hand still extended forward in a failed attempt to get the pistol , and a weapon aimed at his head .

" Told ya i knew your kind . Looks like i won't have to make up the part where you try to esc... "

The Rebel was interrupted mid-sentence by a blaster shot . His pistol dropped to the ground , and his lifeless body soon followed . As he collapsed , Veers could see Gherant with a rifle in his hands , standing over the corpse of the Rebel that had held him at gunpoint for the past ten minutes . The General sighted in relief and grabbed Gherant's hand who helped him back to his feet .

" Much appreciated , Commander . That was a close call , to say the least ... "

" You did most of the handiwork , General . I wish i had intervened sooner though , i'm sorry . "

" I wouldn't have minded . But we're both alive , it's all that matters . We should grab our gear and get moving again . If that scum was right about the Admiral and the Captain being nearby , we should waste no time . "

They grabbed their backpacks and started walking at a slow pace . Gherant could've been faster , but after what had happened , the General wasn't exactly in his best shape . Given his condition , the Commander was even surprised he managed to put up a fight and overcome an armed enemy with his bare hands . They left the Rebels blasters behind as they had enough of them already and resumed their search for their fellow stranded Officers .

After an hour of walking around the forest again , both Imperials suddenly came to a halt . The Commander spoke first .

" Is it a ... _firefight_ ? "

" It's faint but ... yes . It can't be more than two klicks away , perhaps even less . "

They changed course to follow the noise , and fastened their pace . They hadn't made a hundred meters when they heard a loud bang , the kind typically made by an exploding vehicle ...  
The two exchanged a brief look and hurried up . A mere ten minutes later , the reached what had been the ' battlefield ' , but whoever had emerged victorious in the confrontation had already deserted the place .

Two scorched Imperial speeder bikes laid there in pieces , a corpse near each , on of them in a similar state as the speeders . Both of them wore Rebel uniforms , or what was left of them . The Officers quickly examined the wrecked speeders . Among the debris of the most damaged one , they found a half torn half burnt piece of olive fabric . There were no needs for words , they both knew what it meant , or could mean despite the apparent lack of a third body .

Veers and Gherant didn't wasted any more time and headed away from the site upon discovering a set of footprints . A single , deep track of footprints ... 

* * *

I'm sorry it took me so long to write a half-decent new chapter , it seems i was enjoying my vacations a bit too much ^_^

Hope you like it , i'll try to write the next chapter before the end of next month :P


	8. Chapter 7 - Surrounded

I'm not dead ! :) Sorry for not writing any sooner , but my studies are very time-consuming , and i took me quite some time to finish this chapter . On the other hand , this is the longest chapter so far :P I hope you enjoy it !  
Warning though : suggested very adult theme in this chapter ...

* * *

The sun was shining high above the treetops , sending bright rays between the dense foliage and basking the ditch in which the two Officers were still laying unconscious with a soft and warm light . One of the rays started moving over the Admiral's eyes , slowly waking him up .  
Only when he was fully awake did Piett realise how strained were his leg muscles , and as if that wasn't enough , there wasn't a square centimetre of his body that didn't ache in some way . He looked around as he slowly sat up , wiping some dirt off his face and what was left of his uniform .  
The Captain was still there , she hadn't moved a finger . The surroundings still looked clear and quiet , but given how persistent the Rebels had been for the past few days , they weren't going to just give up on their target like that . Judging by the sun's position , it was well over noon , they hadn't moved in a about a dozen hours , giving plenty of time to their enemies to close in on their position _if_ they had managed to find their tracks again . The idea of being captured made Piett rise to his feet faster than he thought was possible in his condition . They had to move , urgently .  
The Admiral kneeled down next to the Captain , grabbed her shoulders and gently shook her in an attempt to wake her up . For quite a moment it did not seem to work at all , but her hand soon started twitching , and he could see her eyes moving under her eyelids .

Flashing before her closed eyes like a holo , Thoryn could see the last few sharp pictures she remembered before everything went black . Like in a twisted nightmare , she saw the Rebels firing at them and chasing them on speeder bikes until the inevitable had happened . The speeder was coming right at her at full speed , there was nothing she could do , it was too late !

The Captain woke up suddenly and sat straight in one abrupt motion , nearly headbutting Piett in the process . The next second , upon discovering that she was missing an arm , she could contain that scream in her throat any longer , she was indeed living a nightmare . The Admiral jerked backwards at first , then forward again to cover her mouth with his hand before the scream could be heard from too far away , as still holding her by the shoulder . He had always known and seen the Captain calm and composed , unflappable even … But to see her so disoriented , to read scare in her eyes was startling , to say the least .

" It's okay , it's all right . You're safe … "

At least for the time being , thought Piett . He slowly took his hand away from her mouth and felt a bit surprised when she threw her remaining arm around his neck . For a brief moment the Admiral had no clue as how to respond , but he eventually laid a gentle hand in her back . Protocol wasn't going to help them survive now anyway , much less get away from the wretched moon . Besides , the guilt prevented Piett from forming any kind of objection . He could hear Thoryn's breath slow down gradually as she was regaining her natural composure , and after a couple seconds backed away .

" I'm sorry , I shouldn't have ... I ... I just had to get a hold on … the present . My apologies , Admiral . "

" It's quite all right , Captain , really . "

Plus , it was quite a welcomed change considering they had spent the last two days being fired upon . After so many years of unwavering loyalty and dedicated service , it was easy to forget what basic human contact felt like .

" We really ought to get moving , we've been here for too long already . If we wait any longer , Rebels might pick our tracks again , and we're running low on the ammunitions of your Charric pistol … "

The Captain nodded in approval . The both of them were tired , too much to trek over a dozen klicks before the end of the day , but they had to try . They were about to pick up their gear when an eerie silence fell around them , followed by suspicious noises in the bushes around them .

" I've got a bad feeling about this … "

Said Thoryn in a low voice , slowly trying to reach for her pistol . But before she could lay a hand on its grip …

" Freeze , Imperial scum ! "

The two Officers straightened as a green-skinned Twi'lek in Rebel attires stepped out of the bushes . He was tall and broad , carrying a rifle in his hands . They looked at each other , looked back and were about to turn their heels and attempt to make a run for it when two additional men came in from behind . A Duros and a Human , blocking their way with wide grins on their faces and blasters pointed at their chests . They were surrounded .  
The Twi'lek carefully studied the two Imperials as his colleagues got a firm grip on their upper arms to restrain them . Their uniforms were tattered , they both wore bandages and looked worn out , it didn't took a genius to guess they weren't going to oppose much resistance . The Rebel stepped closer and turned to face Piett , then yanked his rank bar off his tunic . The latter held his head up high , displaying what Rebels often called " an air of Imperial arrogance " .

" Looks like we've hit the jackpot my friends , tonight it's promotion for everyone ! "

The three Rebels cheered for a few moments . If they wanted a promotion , they had to bring their prisoners in , alive preferably , which meant they could buy themselves some time . Neither of them wanted to wind up in Rebel custody , where they were likely to be interrogated and then executed for alleged war crimes they hadn't committed .

" Now tell us a bit more about you , Admiral . What is you ship , and what are you doing here ? "

There was no point in lying , as one of the top ranking Officers in the Imperial Navy , he'd be identified on the spot in any Rebel base . So any false statement would be short-lived anyway .

" I command the Death Squadron , the Super Star Destroyer Executor is ... was my ship ... I think that answers your second question . "

The grin on the Rebels' faces widened . There were a few Admirals in the fleet that had occupied the Endor sector , but only one commanding the whole of it , and since the Executor had gone down in flames they never expected to find its commanding Officer alive . Rebel high-command was going to have a lot of questions . The Twi'lek then turned to Thoryn .

" Same question , my dear . And more importantly , what happened to your arm ? "

" I am the Captain of the Imperial-II Class Star Destroyer CVS-1401 ... your people know it better as " the Avenger " . I was aboard the Executor as well . As for my arm , well … your friends happened , that's what . "

The Twi'lek faked a sorry-face but never stopped smiling , he was just enjoying his sick little game . He then looked at the Admiral again , making a small head gesture towards the Captain .

" Is she your girl ? Oh come on , I just saw you hugging and all … "

It utter confusion , Piett could only utter a few words as an answer .

" What … ? … No … We're not … "

The Rebel burst out laughing , a most devilish laugh , followed by the cruel sneers of his companions .

" Then I suppose you don't mind if we … how to put it … have a little fun with the Captain here ? "

Piett's expression first turned blank , then shock started defining his features . They couldn't possibly be thinking of … Both the Rebellion and the Empire often treated their prisoners in questionable ways but … That was below even the Rebellion ! Or was it ?! He glanced at a petrified Thoryn ; she had turned so pale that her skin barely seemed blue any more .

" That's an outrage ! It's against all laws of war you can't be serious abo- "

The Twi'lek gestured at his Duros friend who promptly twisted one of the Admiral's arms and pulled it high behind his back , forcing him down on his knees with a groan and silencing him immediately . He then refocused his full attention on the Captain and cupped her chin with his free hand , a wide self-satisfied smirk still on his lips .

" Why is a beautiful creature like yourself willingly serving the Empire ? I can think of hundred different ways the Rebellion could use you better … "

The hand of the Twi'lek was now going down her neck and slowly unfastening the snaps that held the collar of her tunic closed , his smutty smirk widening with every passing second as a growing expression of disgust started to take its place on Thoryn's face . She ultimately spat at his face before he could take too much liberties with her .

" Not even in your dreams , Head-tails … "

The Rebel laughed at first while wiping his face , seemingly satisfied of her defiance . He was only going to enjoy breaking the Imperial even more . At the end of the day he'd have his way and it's all that mattered to him . When he stopped laughing however , he gave the Captain such a loud slap in the face that it almost echoed through the ditch and its surroundings .

" I see ... You're one of those Imperial bitches through and through , uh ? You'd lay your life rather than give us a nice and easy time . Well that can be arranged too , you know , but maybe not straight away … "

When he closed in again , the Captain gathered what strength she had left in her and made good use of the Human Rebel's solid grip on her upper arms as she managed to jump high enough to throw her feet in Head-tails' face , sending him to the ground a couple meters back . The force of the blow made the Human Rebel stagger and let loose of her arms . Thoryn spun on her heels with a closed fist and punched the man hard on the jaw before he could get a hold of his blaster . She turned again to face the Twi'lek , but the the damned bastard had been faster than her . He raised his weapon over his head and striked the Captain right in the temple with the butt of his rifle , knocking her half unconscious . She dropped to the ground and rolled on her back , her hand pressed on her forehead . Head-tails then bent over her and grasped her by the tunic just under the collarbones , lifting her chest a couple centimetres off the ground . Thoryn grabbed one of his wrist , but her grip was weak , and her movement slow and clumsy . She was fighting to stay awake .

" Let's see if you're still so proud in a few minutes … "

The Twi'lek pushed her back roughly , slamming her back on the ground . Her arms fell to her side . She had been awake for less than half an hour after losing a limb , and she didn't had any strength left to fight back . All she could do was turn her head and lock eyes with the Admiral , giving him a helpless look . Head-tails reached for the corner of her tunic , and with one swift movement he ripped it wide open , exposing her bare chest for everyone to see .

Too focused on … whatever he was doing , the Twi'lek failed to see that his Duros companion was struggling to maintain control over his prisoner . Piett was wresting his way out of the Rebel's hold , ignoring the pain in his arm as the Duros twisted it further up his back in an attempt to immobilize him . The Rebel eventually let go of his arms to grab his uniform with an iron grip instead , pulling at his neck and nearly choking him . But that let the Admiral just enough margin to unfasten a few snaps on the front of his tunic , and when the Duros pulled harder he only managed to fall on his back as Piett successfully slipped out of his uniform jacket and pounced forward to tackle Head-tails . The two men rolled and rolled again , and somehow the Admiral emerged on top of his opponent . It gave him enough time to close his hand into a fist and punch the Twi'lek in the nose . A second blow allowed him to break the Rebel's nose , which visibly angered him enough to find a way throw Piett away from him . The Admiral tried to get back on his feet , but the Duros had already catched up with him as well , and before he could move , the latter threw him a huge kick in the stomach . Even with all the will in the Galaxy , Piett couldn't hold back a long and ear-splitting scream of pain .

" Blast it , Zandros ! He's of no use to us dead , you moron ! "

The Duros nodded at Head-tails' warning , and rather than going for a second kick , he just grasped the Admiral's grey singlet and dragged him on ground to their former position . There he just let go of him and picked up his blaster to hold him at gun point in case he attempted any other fancy move . But that wasn't going to happen . Piett was curled up in a near fetal position , clutching his ribcage with both his hands , occasionally moaning when one his broken ribs poked at his lungs , droplets of blood and saliva pearling from the corner of his mouth . He had never felt so much pain in his whole life ! Even what he had to endure when escaping the Executor felt nothing like this . The corners of his vision were blackening , and he hoped so direly that he would lose consciousness soon in order to be relieved of the pain . But unfortunately for him , it seemed as he would have to bear the pain for many more minutes , because he wasn't going to faint any time soon . Either way the Rebels were probably not going to let him faint anyway , the enjoyed watching them suffer too much .

On his side Head-tails was about to resume his business with the Captain after he wiped the blood from his nose with his sleeve . He knelt over her again and laid his hands on her breeches . He was about to undo them and pull them down when he froze at the sight of his Human friend standing a few meters in front of him , immobile , his eyes and mouth wide open . The Twi'lek could see a shiny blade protruding from his throat , and blood dripping on his clothes . When the blade was pulled out , the Rebel collapsed on his side , revealing a third Imperial Officer standing tall behind him , a murderous glare shining in his dark green eyes . He looked over at his Duros companion who was holding his rifle , only to witness a blaster bolt shoot through his brains from behind him as a fourth Imperial made his appearance with an equally furious expression of his face . Head-tails started to take fright as he realised that he was now all alone against two well-armed Imperials who weren't taking too kindly the obvious fact that he was about to abuse of their colleague .

The Twi'lek got up slowly , looking straight in the eyes of the Officer in front of him , feeling more and more uncomfortable at the thought of his imminent demise . The Imperial still had his bloody knife in one hand , and a pistol in the other , but he soon dropped the pistol , and that's when Head-tails tried to run away . But before he managed to fully turn around , Veers had already grabbed one of his lekku and threw him against the nearest tree with a strength increased tenfold by his anger . When the Rebel turned to face him , he started mumbling and pleading for his miserable life . As if that was going to save him now … The General got a hold on his throat and yanked him off the ground , crushing his windpipe with a single hand . And before the Twi'lek could attempt to beg the Imperials again , Veers plunged his blade through his skull , pulled it out , and dropped his lifeless body like one drops a piece of trash . He then immediately rushed to his friends' sides . Gherant was already trying to take care of the Admiral , so he knelt next to the Captain instead , who had pulled the loose part of her tunic over her naked chest to cover her nudity but was struggling to fasten it up again with one hand .  
The General gently helped her sit up straight , and closed her uniform for her .

" I have never been happier to see you … "

Veers smiled . That he could believe indeed . He then laid his hand softly on her wounded arm , with an expression of genuine concern .

" What happened ? "

" Oh , that ? Well , long story short , an incident involving Rebels and speeder bikes … "

" I figured as much … We have seen the wrecks on our way here . Are you all right ? "

" Yes … I'll live , thanks . But I think the Admiral could use the symoxin from our medical supplies … "

The General grabbed the med-bag that was nearby . It was full of all kind of supplies and medicines that they had so dearly missed until now . As soon as he found the hypo-syringe of symoxin he tossed it to Gherant . He then picked a gauze pad and some bacta-gel to clean the bleeding gash above the Captain's eyebrow . She still felt a bit dizzy from the blow to the head , but she otherwise felt almost 'fine" , which , given the circumstances , was pretty surprising . Piett on the other hand was feeling a lot less fine . He was still laying on the ground , panting , almost paralysed by pain . He didn't even flinched when Gherant injected him the painkillers in the arm . Veers and Thoryn soon gathered around him as well . He looked up at them .

" Im sorry … I'm slowing you … down … I - "

" Don't be . Please , don't be sorry . "

Said the Captain with a soft voice as she stretched out her hand in front of him . After all it's only because he tried to get the Twi'lek off her that he wound up in such a poor shape . It had bought them - or her mostly - just enough time for Veers and Gherant to intervene , before any " harm " had truly be done , so to say . The Admiral grabbed her hand , she could feel he was still trembling . But as the minutes passed and the painkillers started proving effective , his breath started to regain a regular rhythm , the trembling ceased and the clutch on his chest loosened as his muscles relaxed . After something like a dozen minutes , they helped him back onto his feet .

Now that they were all together again , they had enough supplies and weapons for everyone , and they could finally move out of the area , as far as possible away from the crash sites of their escape pod . With a bit of luck , the Rebels weren't going to venture so far away from their bases just to get a hand on a few Imperials , particularly since they had now idea who they were . They thus decided to make the best use of the few hours of sunlight they had left . The Officers each collected their equipment , bags and blasters and started moving at a slow , but steady pace .

After the last rays of the sun finally vanished over the treetops , they eventually agreed on making a halt . A good night's sleep would be widely welcomed , and wasn't going to hurt anyone either . They all were in dire need of rest . So they settled in a vague circular formation in order to have eyes in all directions and filled their stomachs with emergency food rations . It wasn't tasty , but it was better than nothing . And at this point they were grateful they had a handful of them . The Officers all fell asleep one , each holding a blaster in their hands , or keeping one in their immediate reach as they slept by shifts of two . There was no such thing as being too cautious .


	9. Chapter 8 - Respite

The Officers had all agreed to take shifts during the night so as the avoid any other rude awakening . But exhaustion and / or throbbing pain had made them fall asleep one after the other regardless of the potential dangers surrounding them . Their sleep had been as agitated as it had been restorative , but most of all , it had been very welcomed . They had all shifted positions at least a dozen times during the night , rolling over and over unconsciously until they found a comfortable spot that wouldn't put any pressure on their countless bruises , gashes , cuts and burns . As a result , what had vaguely looked like a circular formation now looked like a handful of battered Officers almost sleeping on top of each others , except for Veers who was still laying back the same tree trunk , his blaster still laying across his chest , hands firmly clutched around the barrel and the grip of his standard issued E-11 . Gherant laid on his back , an arm folded under his head , one of his leg arched at an angle and planted in ground a little sideways , the other cozily stretchered over the Captain's waist who was sleeping on her side , her good arm snuggled against her body and her head resting on Piett's tight , who was also sleeping on his back , using one of their supply backpacks as a makeshift pillow .

The Empire in all its magnificent glory … Of what was left of it .

The General woke up first . He almost jumped straight to his feet upon realizing that he had fell asleep during his guard shift . But luckily , there was no sign of imminent danger , and everyone seemed to be in one piece . Messy pieces but entire pieces .  
A wide smile spread to his thin lips when he saw his fellow Officers all tangled up , and wished he had a holocamera within hand's reach to immortalize the fabulous scene displayed under his amused eyes . He lowered his blaster and gently kicked the Commander's leg , which flattened on the ground as he woke up .

" Good morning , Sunshine . "

" Hello Maximilian … "

Gherant pushed himself up in a sitting position with his arms and yawned , then quickly pulled his other leg off Thoryn's waist , visibly a little ashamed of having unconsciously used her as a foot rest during his sleep . The swift movement woke up the Captain , who sat up equally fast when she realized she had spent the night using the Admiral's thigh as a bony cushion . Relieving pressure on his leg then woke him up too , and he in turn proceeded to sit up , albeit doing so slowly in order to avoid waking the pain his torso along with the rest of them . He sighted lightly , frowned , and then started massaging his thigh .

" What happened tonight ? My leg feels sleepy … "

The Captain looked aside , slightly embarrassed .

" Well … I may have slept on it all night . My apologies … "

Then it was the Commander's turn to blush a little and look down , coughing twice on purpose and clearing his throat .

" About that … If it makes you feel any better , you've been slept on too this night … Sorry Captain … "

The General shook his head , still smiling .

" You should have all seen yourselves , it really was worth taking a picture , I can say that much . "

The Officers then all looked at each other , and burst out laughing with the most genuine and heartfelt of laughs . After several days of running for their lives in the harshest of conditions , it was the first time they had the occasion to relieve a bit of the perpetual tension and blow off some steam . It was only a brief respite , but it did them all some good .

" Since we've overslept a little , I suggest we consider moving . I don't want to see Rebels popping out of the bushes again . To further we get from their bases …  
Besides , we should soon step out of their basic search pattern radius . "

Gherant looked up to the General with an intrigued expression .

" How do you know that ? "

" Know your enemy and know yourself , Commander . I've had years to study Rebel tactics in various domains , some of those tactics aren't much different from ours . I wouldn't be surprised if some were created based on knowledge gathered from Imperial defectors . "

" The more you know … "

Veers scoffed and lent a hand to Gherant , pulling him up to his feet . Both then turned to give a hand to the Admiral and the Captain . They each picked up their blasters again and holstered them before grabbing their backpacks for a quick ratio-bar breakfast .

" Do you think they're going to let go of us ? We've dealt with a couple of their patrols so far , there's bound to be a very upset Rebel Commander somewhere on this Moon , desperate to get his hands on the Imperial bastards who killed his men … "

Piett had a point . They had killed about a dozen Rebel soldiers by escaping their search patrols , and given how Rebels tended to value the lives of their soldiers a little more than the average Imperial Officer , they were unlikely to give up on them as they'd much rather capture the Imps responsible for their deaths and dispense some vague form of alleged justice . Gherant and Thoryn raised their shoulders , they had no answer . The General sighted , but didn't had a clear answer either …

" Either they abandon the idea of capturing us - which is unlikely - , either next time they send men after us , we'll be facing a whole Garrison . Hence we need to put as much distance as we can between us and the escape pod's crash sites . There has to be other Imperials stranded on this wretched moon , if we keep moving we might pick up a signal , or something . Kriff , we might even stumble on a Rebel Outpost with a shuttle just waiting to be stolen ! "

If anyone else had suggested stealing an enemy transport , he would've sounded like a deluded fool trying to re-enact a scene from his favourite action holo , but they all knew Veers well enough to know that if he had suggested the idea , he thought it was possible . Or that he would make it possible in any case .

Within five minutes , they had deserted the place and were back en-route , heading in the opposite direction as the fireworks they had spotted a few days earlier .  
They walked , walked , and walked even more for hours , undisturbed .  
They didn't encounter any Rebel patrols , didn't stumbled on anything or anyone apart from the local fauna consisting essentially of a wide variety of birds and rodents . No ships , no outposts , no nothing . It soon became as frustrating as it was reassuring . The Officers thus decided to make a small halt , have a snack , and discuss their current situation and possibilities a little further . All four sat down and breathed a little . In addition to the multiple wounds they had sustained during their trip , they were slowly starting to realize that their tall stiff leather boots hadn't been engineered for prolonged walks in forested areas .

The Admiral was the first to break the silence .

" Well , i'm not going to complain . It has been a little over half a day , and nobody has attempted to shoot us yet . I'll take that any time over what happened the last three days … "

The General and the Captain nodded in agreement . Only Gherant expressed his concerns over the situation .

" But … Let's admit for a moment that we keep walking and we don't find an Outpost . Or anything for that matter . Our supplies won't last forever ... What then ? We make a bonfire to signal our position and surrender to the Rebellion ? "

Veers grumbled that the situation was yet desperate enough to even start considering that option , if they would even consider it at all .

" The best we can do for now is to work things out on a daily basis . We don't know what lies ahead , nor do we know what may be in our back as we speak . We'll make do with ours options as they come , now is not yet the moment to consider the worse . Besides , it's not as if … "

The three Navy Officers were all waiting for the end of that sentence . But it never came . He then shushed everyone by raising his hand .

" Listen … "

Instinctively , everyone grabbed their pistols and blasters , fearing that whatever the General had heard was a potentially hostile threat , for a change …

But there was nothing but the slight breeze moving through the leaves of the surrounding trees and the chirping of birds .

" I hear it too ... "

Thoryn looked around and turned several times . Gherant and Piett still seemed clueless about what their two fellow Officers had heard , but didn't dare ask any question and focused instead on trying to find the source of the mysterious noise . The Captain suddenly dropped her blaster and grabbed her bag , opening it wide and started spilling its content on the ground . The Commander and the Admiral could hear it too now , it was faint , but it was definitely coming from the bag .

" The radio ! We're getting a signal ! "

She pulled the little makeshift device from the bag before the General and the Commander could ask where in the world did she got a radio from . That stupid little thing she had assembled from the salvaged receiver / transmitter pieces of the escape pod that had spent over 48h broadcasting Rebel victory messages and propaganda . But it was now receiving something else . Statics , mostly , but also a garbled message . Due to the short-range nature of the receiver , they at least knew the emission source was located somewhere in a five klick radius , most likely forward as they had just picked up the frequency .

" Can you boost the signal ? "

" I can try , but you'll have to give me a hand Max … "

She made a slight grimace and waved her only hand .

" Oh , yes of course , sorry . "

A smirk briefly appeared on the Captain's lip , which made everyone smile , including the embarrassed General who was now holding the device firmly into place .  
After half a dozen minutes work on the radio , they had managed to obtain a slightly stronger and clearer signal , but unfortunately , the message was still unintelligible .

" At least we tried , we can still investigate the source by foot now . " Said Veers , in what appeared to be an optimistic mood .

But the Commander wasn't quite sharing his enthusiasm as he loudly sighted and laid back a little , disappointed by the lack of any clear improvement on their situation .

" What if it's a Rebel trap put in place to lure any Imperial stranded in the area ? "

" Then we'll be set about it very soon . " Replied the General instantly . " Knock it off a little , Commander . This could just as easily be our way out of this hell hole . "

" You seem awfully sure of yourself , General . I'm just … sceptical . "

" It's all right , you have to right to be . But I think Max is right to be confident about this one ."

Piett seemed focus on the signal , listening very carefully to the same loop of statics and garbled message . His eyebrows were knitted in concentration .

" Would you care the develop , Firmus ? "

" The message isn't garbled . Well yes it is , but it's not because of any issue with the signal . It's encrypted , that's why . And it's not any kind of encryption . I'm almost certain that's one of ours . The Navy's Admiralty encryption system , to be precise . "

Nobody uttered a word , but everyone's face suddenly seemed to cheer up .

" However unlikely , Gherant is right . The possibility of a trap remains . If the Rebels somehow got their hands on a high-ranking Officer of the Death Squadron , they might be using his codes to transmit fake messages and recordings … "

Veers cocked his E-11 blaster and stood up , soon joined by Gherant who suddenly regained his lost enthusiasm .

" I guess we'll just have to find out then ! " 

* * *

I am so sorry i couldn't update any sooner , my studies are just getting ever more time-consuming with every passing month and it's not about to stop , but worry not , this Fic isn't dead ! :P  
Had a few days off , and a friend got me to read Fics again , so it sort of motivated me a bit .  
It was a little hard to start writing again , so i hope you like this Chapter . I thought it'd be nice to stop " torturing " our beloved Officers for once :P


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